Bottom for bottle-crates



L. lH. PAYNE.

, BOTTOM FOR BOTTLE CHATES. APPLICATION FILED 1m31, I92I.

l 1,385,709. PatentedlJuly2gl1921.

- i f @JZ U 4 Tf I I" Zwem??- ybeing' drained after washing.

UNITED STATES" PATENT oFFicE. Y'

nur. in'. IfAYNnK, or oHicAGo, ILLINOIS.

BOTTOM FR vBOTTLE-RiAc'lElS.

ToaZZ'wiom/tmcy concern; n Y. I Be it known that l, LEE H. PiirNm a citizen or the United' States, residing at Chicago, in the county oi @ook 'and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottonisrior Bottlecrates, oi which lthe following is a speciiication. p i v 1 This invention relates to bottle crates, for instance crates composed of pairs of opposed coniining wallsv with .intersecting partitions subdividing the interior space oi'' the crate into compartments to receive bottles and to hold them out of contact with one another to4 avoid breakage; vand the invention relates particularly to the construction of the bottorn for such a crate affording support for the bottles introduced 'into the comp-artinents. The object of the invention is to provide ,a bottom construction which will be very A measure oi inherent elasticity that will effectively insure the bottles Vagainst breakage even' though carelessly dropped into the pockets, and willi retain its torni and struc-v ture in spite ot rough usage and thus avoid possibility of the lbottles dropping through on to hard surfaces, even though the bottles be inserted'in inverted position as is frequently done, particularly when they are The invention proceeds upon the principle ci: utilizing for the load bearing members o if thebottom relatively thin flat strips oi" metal with inherent flexibility and, preferably, resiliency, extendedbetween 'and anchored to opposed walls of the crate, with their rlat faces and lesser transverse dimension presented in the direction to receive the load or" the inserted bottles so that the strips develop a high degree of flexibility and absorb the shock of bottles dropped into the pockets; and, in order to insure the proper spacing intermediately of the yanchored ends of these load-bearing strips and to prevent them from sagging down under the load of bottles and to accomplish this without interfering with their flexibility, providing an intermediate transverse sustaining bridge also constructed of a flat metal strip and eX- tended between and anchored to the opposed Specication'of Letters Patent.v Patented July 26", 19,21. AAppiican@ filed January 31, i921. serial No. 441,138.

walls 01"' a pair, but in position to intersect the load-bearing strips, first named; this bridging strip being constructed vwith slots extending therethrough in line with and conforming substantially to the section of the load-bearing strips, Iand having the latter threaded through these slots so that they are confined against both vertical and laterall displacement but not against longitudinal movement or the fle; ng or rocking movement incident to resilient action of the supporting strips, and thereby permitting each strip y anchoring ends of the bridging strip are n deflected to bring their lesser dimension in trie direction oi the load while leaving the bridging strip with'itsy greater dimension vertical throughout the greater portion oi' its length, thus not only Vfacilitating the anchoring oi the ends of the bridging strip, but obtaining an additional ineasureof resiliency in the bottoni.

rlhe invention will be fully understood upon reference to the accompanying drawing. in which- Figure l is a perspective View oi a crate having the subject-matter or' the present invention embodied therein.` Y

TJigs. 2 and 3 are, respectively, a vertical longitudinal section and .a vertical transverse sectionl of the saine.; and

Fig. 4 is ya vertical longitudinal section of the lower portion of a crate showing asoinewhat modified.construction oi the load-beai'- ing strips.

A represents the opposed end walls and B the opposed side walls oi a crate, the interior space oi which kis subdivided by longitudinal partitions 'and transverse partitions D `to provide pockets for the reception of bottles, To support bottles introduced into the pockets thus provided, thecrate is constructed with load bearing strips of fiat metal E extended across the bottom thereof, preferably longitudinally of the crate, and with their ends anchored at E in the end walls A of the crate, and in a planesu'flioiently above the bottom plane of the crate to .prevent bottles supported on said strips from coming into contact with the ground or other hard object upon which the crate may be resting. Strips E are made of relatively thin flat metal and have their flat faces of lesser transverse dimension presented in the direc-y tion of loading so that their inherent flexibility and resiliency (if made of a resilient metal) will come into ,play in a'manner to absorb the shock of bottles dropping thereon, Iand safeguard the bottles against breakage. Y y

The load-bearing strips E are preferably arranged in pairs beneath each lineof pockets. In order to insure proper spacing of the strips intermediately of their anchored ends, and to sustain them intermediately, a

,bridging strip F is extended betweenV the other pair of opposed walls, for instance, the side walls B of the crate, and has its ends F lirmly anchored therein, as, for instance, through the medium of vertical rods .Bg and this bridging strip has formed through it, in alinement with the loadbearingstrips E, slots or apertures F2 conforming substantially to the transverse section of the load-bearing strips, and the latter are threaded through said slots and'conlined therein against upward or downward movement as well as lateral displacement or alteiation of their spacing. But the strips do not fit in these slots with sufficient tightness to prevent free rocking of the load- '.bearing'strip under its flexing action and consequent transmission of this flexing action from the portion on one side of the bridge to the portion lying on the other side thereof, and thereby increasing Athe cushioning effect developed by the bottom structure. The ends F of the bridge F are preferably deflected to a plane 90 from the 'plane of the main body of the bridge F,

thereby not 'only facilitating the anchoring fof the bridge but developing some additional measure of resiliency in the direction of the load. 1 l t If preferred, the load-bearing strips may be developed with serpentine deflections or vcorrugations, as shown at FX in Fig. 4, to Vincrease their .vertical resiliency and to perinit them to be introduced between the opposed end walls A with inherent loiigitudinal strains of tension, but without interfgring with the supporting spacing vand fulcruming bearing developed by the bridge F at their intermediate points. Y

i daim;

l. In a bottle, crate composed of'pairs of l i opposed 'conning walls and partitions subdividing its inner space into compartments, a bottom structure 'providing bottomsV for the respective compartments and lcomprising flexible Yflat metal load-bearing strips extending between and anchored to the op# posed Walls of one pair, with their lesser transverse dimension and lat .faces pre-I sented inthe direction olf-loading, and an Y intermediate sustaining bridge comprising a fiat metal ,strip extending between and an# chored to the opposed Walls of the other pair,with its greater transverse dimension presented parallel to the direction ofloading and having therethrough, in line with and substantially conforming to the section of the load-bearing strips, slots that Vmaintain the spacing of said load-bearing strips and sustain them intermediately ofv their anchored'ends, with freedom of rocking in' the slots. f

2. In-a bottle crate composed of pairs of opposed confining Ywalls and partitions su-bdividing its inner spaceY into compartments,

a bottom structure providing bottoms forV the respective compartments and compris- .Y

ing flexible llat metal load-bearing vstrips extending between and anchored to. the opposed walls of one pair, with their Ylesser transverse dimension and flat faces presented in the direction of loading, and an intermediate sustaining bridge comprising a flat metal strip extending between'and anchored to the opposed Walls of the Yother pair, Vwith its greater transverse dimension presented parallel to the directionof loading and hav-y ,v i i of January, 1921.y

p LEE H. PAYNE. 

